‘Rural areas drive this country’ – Minister calls for communities from all regions to ‘work together’ during time of instability
Wexford PeopleRural Affairs Minister Dara Calleary has said that in a time of “such instability” it’s vital that those living in rural and urban areas “all work together” for the betterment of the nation.
Speaking in the wake of comments made by former taoiseach Leo Varadkar in which he claimed those living in urban areas were the “ones paying all the bills”, the minister said now was not the time to create division in different communities.
“Most people in urban areas have rural roots and they know that we all work collectively together,” he said. “But if you look at where our multinationals are at the moment, where our local enterprise is, it's coming out of rural areas. The rural areas in the west coast are delivering not only to Ireland they're delivering to the world in terms of health care, pharmaceuticals, technology.
"There's a lot of support that goes into urban areas that we don't get in rural areas and vice versa. At a time of such instability, when there’s so much volatility around the world, it’s important to remember we're a small island and we've got to all act to work together as far as we can.”
Minister Calleary was speaking at the opening of Duncannon Fort in Co Wexford and said the work undertaken in reopening this amenity was typical of the community spirit in rural parts of the country.
“Rural areas drive this country, rural areas feed the country,” he said. “In terms of enterprise, in terms of innovation, in terms of spirit, you see it here in Duncannon today, the community spirit, the meitheal, it's here. If we could replicate this meitheal across every part of the country, our country would be amazing.
“That spirit comes from rural areas, it's rooted in rural areas, so I absolutely I stand with rural areas, I want to develop them more.”
Fuel protests on O’Connell Street in Dublin earlier this month. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA
Mr Vardakar’s comments, for which he has since apologised, came in the wake of nationwide fuel protests which threatened to divide the nation along urban and rural lines. Those protests were ultimately stood down following the government’s decision to allocate a further €500m in supports to alleviate pressures on hauliers, contractors, farmers, and the fisheries; in addition to the €250m in grants issued in March.
Asked if that €750m package would “placate” those who had felt compelled to protest, Minister Calleary said it wasn’t a case of responding to concerns with increased grants.
“It's not a case of placating (them), I think people realise that there's more challenges potentially to come, they want to make sure that we will be in a position to respond when those challenges come. We made it clear that we're going to keep a constant eye on where things are at. Even as I said last weekend, the changes in fuel prices across 24 hours were extraordinary. And as I speak to you, the volatility in the markets is extraordinary.
“We have to be ready as a government and as a country to respond to that. I think the €750m package is one of the highest in the European Union, people recognise that their diesel is 30 cents a litre less and that would not have been the case without that kind of package.”
Amid fears that this emergency funding will negatively impact this year’s budget and lead to less financial supports for PAYE workers, Minister Calleary said the €750m will benefit the entire nation, not just those who erected blockades around the country.
“That money is being used to allow people to get through the current challenge, in particular people who are involved in delivering food, in producing food and processing food,” he said. “If we don't make those investments now that price will get passed on to people; everybody will benefit from the the two packages, that combined €750m will go to everybody's pockets.”